On November 8 and 9 Chiefs of Defence of the Baltic States, Lieutenant General Arvydas Pocius, Chief of Defence of Lithuania, Major General Raimonds Graube, Chief of Defence of Latvia, and Brigadier General Riho Terras, Chief of Defence of Estonia, discussed relevant points of the trilateral defence cooperation in Kernavė (Lithuania).
Baltic CHODs addressed the possibilities of forming a joint unit for conducting standby in the NATO Response Force (NRF). The Baltic States are set to generating a battalion-sized unit for duty in the NRF in 2016. The unit is planned to be headed by Estonia. The Baltic States had such a unit in 2010, Lithuania had contributed to the Baltic Battalion a command element and approximately 600 troops.
Baltic CHODs have also discussed the contribution of the Baltic States to the operations of NATO and the European Union and the Baltic Air Policing mission. The meeting Chiefs of Defence also addressed joint military training events of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to be held in the Baltic States' training areas in the future, and the possibilities of expanding cooperation among the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Force and corresponding Latvian and Estonian military formations, and cooperation at special forces level.
Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian top-ranking military commanders also discussed the points of developing the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) based in Estonia, officer and civilian training. Baltic CHODs have made a decision regarding the possible candidate to the position of the Commandant of the BALTDEFCOL. In the following term of office the position will be entrusted to a Lithuanian representative. Baltic Chiefs of Defence intend to propose Major General Vitalijus Vaikšnoras for the duties. The final decision regarding the nominee to the position of the BALTDEFCOL Commandant is made by the Ministers of Defence of the Baltic States.
The top-ranking military commanders have also addressed the trilateral Baltic projects underway: the Baltic Naval Squadron BALTRON and the Baltic Air Surveillance Network and Control System BALTNET.
Customarily, the Baltic CHODs conduct formal meetings twice a year, in one of the Baltic States on a rotational basis. In such format the meeting commanders address the key affairs of trilateral cooperation, make decision necessary for the progress of joint projects, share information relevant to the region as well as information obtained in multinational or bilateral meetings of other formats.
Spokesperson to the Lithuanian Chief of Defence Capt Skomantas Povilionis, phone no. 00370 682 25 359.
